4 Essential Steps to Healing Your PCOS Naturally
If you have been recently diagnosed with PCOS or alternatively, if you suspect you might have PCOS but have not been formally diagnosed, you might be feeling a great deal of confusion. If you are researching things online, trying to learn more about your condition, you might find a great deal that applies to you, but possibly a lot that doesn’t. This is because PCOS has a range of signs and symptoms and very few women actually demonstrate a “textbook” presentation which includes facial hair, acne, weight issues, irregular periods and multiple cysts on your ovaries. In fact, some women with PCOS don’t even have multiple cysts on their ovaries. Despite the fact that there are so many differences from patient to patient when it comes to PCOS, there tends to be trends that relate to each on of these women. Therefore, if you follow the classic presentation or not, these 4 tips are important for each one of you in order to start your healing process and reverse your symptoms.
Eliminate refined Carbs
Diet is key when it comes to PCOS, no matter what your symptomology. It has been proven that most women with PCOS, even those who are not obese, struggle with insulin resistance as one of the root causes of the hormone imbalances that occur. This means that there is a metabolic issue with blood sugar regulation. Therefore, an important strategy for every woman with PCOS involves making dietary changes, the most important being, the elimination of refined carbohydrates like processed sugar and white flour. It is also extremely important to make sure that meals are balanced with protein, fat and vegetables in order to keep blood sugar levels balanced and decrease cravings. Every woman is different and therefore diet plans should be individualised but these key principles will apply to all.
Start exercising
Exercise directly reduces insulin resistance and is therefore key in helping to minimize the inflammation associated with PCOS and control blood sugar levels. Starting with as little as 30 mins, 3 times per week can be a game changer, especially if you are dealing with weight concerns.
Get your hormones tested!
If you have already been diagnosed with PCOS or if you suspect you might have it, it is important to have your hormones tested. This is because every woman with PCOS will have a different range of hormonal imbalances. Even though it is assumed that the main problem is related to high testosterone levels, there is often an underlying thyroid problem that needs to be dealt with as well. Some women may not have an issue with testosterone, but may have a problem with a hormone called DHEAs, which is related to testosterone.
Nurture yourself and manage your stress.
Women with PCOS actually make more cortisol (out main stress hormone) than women without PCOS. Therefore, if a woman with PCOS endures a lot of stress, she will produce much more cortisol than average from her adrenals. This results in strain on the adrenal glands and alters the production of other hormones creating further imbalance. In addition, high cortisol contributes to abdominal weight gain, as well as insulin resistance, contributing further to the root cause. Therefore, it is even MORE important for a woman with PCOS to manage stress levels in order to heal. Therefore, things such as self care, boundaries, yoga, meditation and/or prayer are important activities to add into your every day routine.
As stated above, every woman with PCOS is different, however these 4 tips will provide a great base to your treatment plan no matter what type of PCOS you have. If you have PCOS or think you have PCOS and you would like to have proper hormone testing and dive a little deeper into treatment, consider booking a consultation to get started on an individualised treatment plan.
Dr. Lisa Maddalena, ND
Leave a Reply